


Timelapse

by Wordancer



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25308430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wordancer/pseuds/Wordancer
Summary: A time in between.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 22
Kudos: 346





	Timelapse

Joe pours the coffee grinds into the coffee machine and sets it to brew. The clock above the kitchen door ticks softly, and he leans against the counter to wait, bleary eyed. Nicky is still in bed, rolled up in the sheets. Joe opens a cupboard and gets out two mugs. The smell of the coffee dripping into the kettle brings his sleepy mind back to the first time he had coffee.

It was around the end of the crusades. He had been walking a market with Nicky, looking for novelties. A coffee stand, newly opened, beckoned from the side of the street. Nicky had noticed it first, and Joe could not refuse the excitement in his eyes, though money was tight, as they had stopped fighting in the war by then. Joe could not refuse an excited Nicky now, either.

Joe can still remember the blossoming of his love for Nicky, the hesitance, the uncertainty. There is only rock solid certainty in his partner now, but it’s fun sometimes, to look back on when they were just beginning to learn each other. All the little pleasures of discovery are tempered by time, but he still feels them.

Nicky wanders into the kitchen as the coffeepot fills to check on the little potted rosebush he bought at the store a few days ago. “It seems to be going all right, don’t you think?”

Joe considers the roses. The petals have all fallen, and the leaves are looking decidedly wilted. “Of course, my love.”

Nicky prods at a drooping branch. “Maybe it needs more water. But I read an article that said too much water would drown it.”

“Too much? How could you pour too much water to nourish that plant, when you share your love with me so generously, and nourish me so well?” Joe kisses Nicky on the cheek, and Nicky’s face softens.

“Maybe I’ll give it a little more.” He looks through a cabinet for a watering can while Joe pours the coffee. Joe adds the amount of milk and sugar that he knows Nicky likes.

“You’d better have made enough for me,” Andy says from the living room.

“Yes, boss,” Joe replies. He gets out another mug and hands Nicky his.

“Grazie, amore mio,” Nicky takes a sip.

“You’re welcome, ya amar,” Joe replies with a smile.

Andy pops her head into the kitchen. “What’s the hold up?” She swoops past Joe, taking the empty mug from him to pour herself a cup. Nicky's eyes crinkle at the corners as he looks at Joe, and Joe continues smiling like a fool. Andy rolls her eyes. “It’s too early in the morning for this,” she says, and she walks back out.

“I was remembering the first time we tried coffee,” Joe says. “Do you remember it, Nicolo?”

Nicky tilts his head back in thought. “It was unsweetened. I didn’t like it.”

“You were so disappointed,” Joe says. “I wanted to kiss the frown off your face.”

Nicky looks delighted. “Did you? You never told me that. I thought that came later.”

“I recognized it later, but I felt it then.” Joe steps toward Nicky and leans in to kiss him softly.

“Get a room!” Andy yells from the living room.

“What?” Nile stumbles in from her bedroom. “What’s going on?”

“Different year, same nonsense,” Andy grumbles. They are interrupted by the sounds of shouting out in the hall. “What is this fresh horseshit,” Andy says as she rises from the couch to listen at the door.

“It’s that married couple again,” Nile says.

Andy opens the door and storms out. “Get a divorce!” She yells in the hall.

Joe and Nicky trade glances with Nile, and then they follow her out. The husband and wife both turn on Andy to tell her to mind her own business. Then the husband raises his hand and yells, “Don’t interrupt me when I’m speaking,” the wife cowers back, and Nile can see Andy’s patience snap.

Andy grabs the husband’s hand and twists it around behind his back. “You weren’t going to do what I think you were going to do, were you?” She growls in his ear.

“N-no,” the man stutters with wide eyes.

“Good. Now, you’re going to shut up, go back into your apartment, and leave your wife alone, or I’ll have unfinished business with you. Got it?”

“Got it,” the man says. Andy releases him, and he scurries back behind his front door. The wife blinks at them, then follows him inside. Andy sighs.

“I just accomplished nothing, didn’t I?” Andy says.

Nile rests a hand on Andy’s shoulder. “You gave her a break. That counts for something.” Nile leads them back into their own apartment, where Copley is waiting for them with a raised eyebrow. His gravitas is damaged slightly by the fact that he is still in his tartan bathrobe and slippers.

“What have I told you about drawing attention to yourselves?” Copley asks.

“Yeah, yeah,” Andy says, “I know what I’m doing.”

“What’s the status of our next job?” Nile asks Copley.

“I’m still checking up on it. You can’t rush these things,” Copley murmurs as he shuffles into the kitchen. “I could kiss whoever made this coffee.”

“Please don’t,” Joe says with a grin, “It would break my love’s heart.”

“Never mind,” Copley groans.

“I was thinking I’d check out the church down the block,” Nile says.

Andy snorts. “Why?”

“Don’t listen to her,” Nicky says. “Pray your heart out, Nile. Explore your destiny, but don’t be afraid of being alone. Crises of faith are only natural, but your fate is shared with us. We’ll keep you on the road of good workings, should you falter.”

“Thank you, Nicky,” Nile says, with a mild glare for Andy. She goes into her room to change, then walks back out to find Andy, Nicky, and Joe sprawled on the couch where she left them. Copley is on his computer, typing away. “I’ll see you later,” she says.

Nile likes the peace and quiet of old churches. They remind her of home, of Sundays with her mother and brother and the community all around them. She has a new community now, but she still likes to revisit the old one, if only in her mind. She walks through the double doors of the entrance and into a large central area with gothic arches to the roof and stained glass windows lining the walls. The place is almost deserted, and she wanders into an empty pew to sit and think.

A little time later, a child comes up to her, a girl in a stained blue dress. Her hair is falling out of her pigtails, and she has the hungry look that the still growing have. “Do you have any change?”

Nile considers the girl before her. “I don’t have change, but I might have something to eat. Would that help?”

The little girl nods.

“Sit and pray with me,” Nile says. “Then we’ll go to the market.”

“Ok.” The child hops up onto the bench and sits quietly with legs swinging. Nile thinks about her mother and brother and hopes they are beginning to move on from her. She hopes they’re safe and well. She misses them. Nile’s eyes water a little, and she blinks rapidly and turns to the little girl.

“Let’s go,” Nile says, and the child gets to her feet and follows Nile out of the church. “What’s your name?”

“Mary,” the little girl says.

“That’s a cool name.”

“The nuns gave it to me.”

“That’s nice,” Nile says. “After the Virgin Mary?”

“Yeah.”

They fall into silence until they reach the market, where Nile finds Andy chatting with the grocer. “Hey, Andy,” Nile says. Andy turns and does a double take.

“You’ve got someone following you, there, Nile,” Andy says.

“Her name’s Mary,” Nile says. “Mary, this is my friend, Andy.” Mary stands behind Nile’s legs and peers out at Andy. “I told her I could get her some food.”

“Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve got some fresh baklava in just this morning,” the grocer says. Andy’s eyes light up.

“What’s baklava?” Mary asks.

“What’s baklava?” Andy repeats, looking horrified. She turns to the grocer. “Six pieces, please.” She looks down at Mary. “What else are kids missing out on these days?”

“She won’t know, because she’s missing out,” Nile says.

They get enough food for a day or two, but no more. They’re not sure when they’ll be shipping out. Mary is a silent presence in the kitchen as Nile unpacks the food and starts making sandwiches, and they are only interrupted by the return of Nicky and Joe, who come in carrying signs.

“What are those for?” Andy asks.

“The local box store cut employee wages this month. We joined a protest about it,” Joe says.

“What did I say about drawing attention!” Copley calls from the couch, where he’s still working on his computer.

“We wore bandanas,” Nicky says. He catches sight of Mary, sets his sign down, and kneels in front of her. “Who’s this?”

“This is Mary,” Nile says. “She’s here for lunch, and then we’re going back to the church where I found you, right, Mary?” Mary nods.

“What’s your sign say?” Mary asks.

Nicky holds it up. “A living wage, today!” He reads out loud. “Do you know what a living wage is, Mary?” Mary shakes her head.

“You can tell her over lunch,” Nile says as she dishes out sandwiches. Nicky rises to his feet to accept his plate, and they all sit down around the large kitchen table.

“Copley! Food!” Andy calls.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Copley says distractedly.

“Now!” Andy says.

“Fine,” Copley says, and they hear him get up from the couch with a grunt. He joins them at the table, and they begin to eat.

“As I was saying, Mary,” Nicky begins, “Sometimes in this world, people get greedy. You know this, yes?”

“Just yesterday, Tommy ate my desert,” Mary says.

“Exactly,” Nicky says. “People take what they don’t need, things that aren’t theirs to take. When you get older, you might get a job somewhere. Your boss might not want to give you enough money to live your life. Well, it’s important that you know not to stand for that nonsense. Right, Joe?”

“Yes, Nicolo.” Joe looks seriously at the girl. “Repeat after me, I deserve a living wage.”

“I deserve a living wage,” Mary says.

Joe nods proudly. “Good. You would fit right in at the protest. We could get you a sign. Do you like glitter?” Mary giggles and nods.

“We’re not taking her to a protest,” Andy says. “Nile, did you even tell anyone you were taking her to lunch?”

“Uh…” Nile takes a bite of her sandwich with intense focus.

Andy sighs. “We’re definitely taking her back to that church of yours after this.”

“Try not to get arrested for kidnapping,” Copley says dryly. His sandwich finished, he goes back to his computer.

Nile waits for Mary to finish her food, and Andy brings out the baklava with relish. Mary inhales hers, to Andy’s satisfaction. Once Mary has finished everything, Andy leans back in her chair and gives Nile a look. “Time to go.”

Nile nods and gets up from the table. She is worried about getting into trouble for taking Mary, but she is also worried that nobody might care. Something must show on her face, because Nicky also gets up. “We’ll go with you,” he says. He looks at Joe.

“Right.” Joe gets to his feet. “I wanted a little post-protest stroll, anyway.”

They walk slowly down the street, so that Mary can keep up. When they get to the church, an agitated nun greets them at the door.

“Mary! There you are! What have I told you about running off?” The nun scolds.

“I’m sorry,” Nile says. “It’s my fault. I told her she could share a meal with us.”

“Mary,” the nun scolds. “Were you asking strangers for money again?” Mary shrugs. “Thank these nice people for taking you in.”

“Thank you,” Mary says dutifully.

Nicky laughs. “Figurati. I see you are already a business woman.”

“He means, don’t worry about it,” Joe says, smiling down at Mary.

Nicky looks intently at the nun. “I like your roses,” he says, gesturing at the rosebushes that grow along the church walls.

The nun smiles. “Thank you. We take pride in caring for them.”

“I am caring for a rosebush myself,” Nicky says. “How do you do it?”

“It takes a lot of work, with some types,” the nun says. “Constant vigilance, you might say. Would you like some cuttings, as a thank you?”

Nicky brightens. “Yes, thank you.” The nun sees them off with a bouquet of pink and red roses, which Joe hands to Nicky.

“Che bella,” Nicky says.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Joe says.

When they get back to the apartment, Andy is surprised to see Nicky carrying an armful of roses. “Really, Joe?” She asks.

Joe holds up his hands. “It wasn’t me, though I must admit, the idea has merit.”

“The nun gave them to me,” Nicky says proudly.

“I don’t want to know,” Andy says.

Nicky puts the bouquet of roses in a tall glass full of water and sets them next to the wilting rosebush. He steps back and smiles. Joe walks over to him and wraps his arms around him from behind in a hug, resting his chin on Nicky’s shoulder.

Nile sits next to Andy. “Mary is fine,” she says. “The nuns are taking care of her.”

Andy nods. “Good.”

“Aha!” Copley says. “Gather round, gather round, I have work set up for you now.” Joe and Nicky join them from the kitchen, and Copley begins to give them the details for their new job. Nile looks around at Andy, Joe, Nicky, and Copley, who are all concentrating on the details of their latest assignment, and she thinks, she may have lost something by becoming immortal, but look what she has gained.

**Author's Note:**

> Grazie, amore mio: thank you, my love  
> Ya amar: my moon  
> Figurati: don’t mention it  
> Che bella: how beautiful  
> I have no idea if these translations are accurate, and I’m sorry I didn’t use more Arabic – Italian is closer to the languages I do kind of know, so I felt a little more confident with it. Please tell me if I made a mistake, and I hope you enjoyed the fic!


End file.
